Since 2017, as many as 415,000 Ethiopian migrants were helped to return to Ethiopia, many of them arrested for committing crimes, Mufti said at a press conference.

According to Mufti, officials from the Ethiopian embassy and consulate in Saudi Arabia ‘periodically visit detention centers to assess migrants´ well-being and to prepare for their return.’

Along with international organizations, the federal administration set up a system to provide humanitarian assistance and reintegrate them into their communities of origin.

The needs of each adult migrant are assessed and in the case of minors there is a program to unite them with their relatives, in case of eventual separation, or incorporate them into social institutions if they are orphaned.

In addition, the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs offers job openings, professional guidance or even formalizes contacts with private agencies in search of job opportunities for returnees.

Many migrants are smuggled and exposed to human rights violations, and the government, the Immigration Agency and the Attorney General’s Office, are making efforts to strengthen border management and reducing human trafficking, she said.

pgh/Pll/msm / raj